A labor & community center for educational, social and cultural activities since 1937

Thursday, March 11, 2010

CT Allaince for Retired Americans Meets Mar 26

The Peoples Center is a chapter of Alliance for Retired Americans.

Below is a notice of a special meeting of the CT ARA on Mar 26 from 10 am to 3 pm at the AFT offices in Rocky Hill. We will carpool. If you would like to attend, please leave a message at 203-624-8664.

See meeting notice below.

The CT Alliance for Retired Americans is 53,000 members strong. When this large number is mentioned at legislative hearings, public meetings and media contacts, it never fails to impress. However, this number alone is not enough to show the impact of our voice as we articulate those issues that are important to us as retired persons and to our families, including our children and grandchildren.

The key to our strength is to “organize.” Our purpose in organizing is three fold:

1.) We must organize to defend and improve the quality of our lives for ourselves and our children.

a. Right now, health care, Medicare programs and Social Security are under attack and we must be knowledgeable of and ready to speak to those issues.

2.) We must organize to recruit and develop volunteers, leaders, and activists in our local communities, and on the state level.

a. We want our members to clearly understand the issues for which we advocate and become involved in our advocacy.

3.) We must organize so that our CT Alliance is always bringing in new members.

a. The cliché “there is strength in numbers” is very true. We need to be able to communicate this to our members, so they will be encouraged to get involved and get active.

Organizing around the issues is our first goal. To that end, we are having an information and training session so that members can learn of the legislative issues that are our priorities, understand the implications if we don’t win on these issues, and plan strategies for achieving our goals.

Bob Kearney, ARA National Field Mobilization, will inform us on the national issues that effect seniors, and experts involved in the Connecticut struggle for services including falls prevention, Alzheimer Respite Care, Senior Dental services,and Long Term Care will inform us on those issues.

The general membership meeting begins at 10 a.m. The information and training session will begin at 11 a.m. and end by 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

Meeting space (call for availability):First floor common roomThird floor board roomMember of:Alliance for Retired Americans New Elm City DreamCORDCoalition for PeopleBetter Choices for ConnecticutHealth Care for America NowOne Nation Working Together